This application is based on Patent Application No. 2001-154313 filed May 23, 2001 in Japan, the content of which is incorporated hereinto by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device-socket used for testing the semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor devices mounted on an electronic equipment or others are subjected to various tests at a stage prior to being actually mounted so that latent defects therein are removed. The test is performed nondestructively through application of voltage stress, high-temperature operation, and high-temperature storage corresponding to thermal and mechanical environment tests or the like. Among these tests, there is a burn-in test effective for removing initial-inoperable integrated circuits, in which an operation test is performed under a high temperature condition for a predetermined time.
A semiconductor device-socket subjected to such a test disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 10-302925 (1998) and 2000-009752, is disposed on a printed circuit board (a printed board) having an input/output section through which a predetermined test voltage is supplied to and an abnormality-detection signal representing a short-circuit or others is returned from the semiconductor device as an object to be tested and the abnormality-detection signal is transmitted.
Such a semiconductor device-socket comprises a socket body that is fixed onto the printed circuit board and accommodates a contact deviation member described later relatively movably with respect to a pair of movable contact portions of each contact terminal, a positioning member including an accommodation portion in which a semiconductor device of a BGA (Ball Grid Array)-type, for example, is loaded, a contact deviation member disposed in the socket body movably in a reciprocating manner in a predetermined direction to support a bottom of the positioning member and bringing the one of movable contact portion of the contact terminal described later in close proximity to the other of movable contact or keeping the one away from the other, and a frame member for transmitting operating force acting on itself to the contact deviation member as driving force through a driving mechanism (not shown) of the contact deviation member.
Each contact terminal includes a terminal on the side of a proximal end provided on the socket body corresponding to each electrode portion of the loaded semiconductor device, and a pair of movable contact portions coupled to the foregoing terminal for selectively pinching each electrode portion of the semiconductor device. The pair of the oppositely disposed movable contact portion are brought in close proximity to each other in response to the movement of the contact deviation member to pinch each electrode portion of the semiconductor device, or are kept away from each other by a predetermined distance to release each electrode portion of the semiconductor device. The distance (the amount of opening) between the pair of the movable contact portions is set to a value that is obtained by adding the diameter of each electrode portion of the semiconductor device and a predetermined gap such that loading and unloading of the semiconductor device are possible, for the example.
The contact deviation member is movably arranged in an accommodation portion of the socket body in the movement direction of the movable contact portion of each contact terminal, and includes a plurality of openings from which the pair of the movable contact portions of each contact terminal are protruded, respectively. Adjacent each opening is divided between a partition wall.
At peripheral edges of the respective openings in the contact deviation member from which the movable contact portions of the respective contact terminals are protruded (between the openings), there is provided the partition wall portion as a movable contact pressing portion. The partition wall portion is formed to divide a space between the one of the movable contact portion and the other.
In such a construction, when a semiconductor device is accommodated in the accommodation portion of a positioning member, first the aforementioned frame member is made to lower to move the contact deviation member in one direction. Then, in the situation where the partition wall member as the movable contact pressing portion is moved and held such that the one movable contact portion of each contact terminal is spaced with respect to the other movable contact portion, the semiconductor device is placed on a bottom of the accommodation portion of the positioning member, which permits each electrode portion of the semiconductor device to be positioned between the movable contact portions of the respective electrode portions.
When the frame member is moved upward, the contact deviation member is moved in the opposite direction to the one direction by restoring force of the movable contact up to an initial position to permit the partition wall portion to be separated from the one of the movable contact and brought into contact with the other. The pair of the movable contact portions of each contact terminal are thereupon brought in close proximity to each other.
Accordingly, each electrode portion of the semiconductor device is pinched by the pair of the movable contact portions of each contact terminal to electrically connect each electrode portion of the semiconductor device with each contact terminal.
Thereafter, a predetermined inspection signal is supplied to the printed circuit board to enable the aforementioned burn-in test to be performed.
For removing the semiconductor device from the bottom of the accommodation portion in the positioning member after the completion of the aforementioned burn-in test, the foregoing frame member is again moved downward, causing the partition wall portion of the contact deviation member to be moved such that the one of the movable contact of each contact terminal is spaced with respect to the other.
There is however a situation where the other of the movable contact in the contact terminals among the plurality of the contact terminals bites the electrode portion of the semiconductor device formed of solder, etc. on the temperature condition of the burn-in test, and hence it may be difficult to remove the semiconductor device from the bottom of the accommodation portion in the positioning member.
Further, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 18, the respective contact terminals 6 each including the movable contact portions 6A, 6B may be arranged in a line corresponding to the respective electrode portions 10 of the semiconductor device. Further, FIG. 18 illustrates a situation where the partition wall portions 4A, 4B of the contact deviation member 2 disposed between the movable contact portions 6A and 6B are moved in one direction, and the movable contact portion 6A of the contact terminal 6 is separated from the movable contact portion 6B.
The respective electrode portions 10 of the semiconductor device are positioned between the movable contact portions 6A and 6B. An opening portion 8, from which the movable contact portions 6A and 6B are protruded, is formed between the partition wall portion 4A and the partition wall portion 4B.
The amount L of the opening of each contact terminal 6 has a predetermined limitation owing to a mutual distance between the electrode portions 10 of the semiconductor device. There might therefore happen the possibility that the amount L of the opening of each contact terminal 6 is not enough as each electrode portion 10 of the semiconductor device become ever-denser.
In view of the aforementioned problems with the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor device-socket for use in a test for the semiconductor device, wherein the amount of the opening of the contact terminal is enough ensured without being influenced by the density of the electrode portions of the semiconductor device, and further the movable contact portion of the contact terminal is reliably spaced from the electrode portion of the semiconductor device.
To achieve the above object, a semiconductor device-socket according to the present invention comprises: a plurality of contact terminals, each of which includes a first movable contact portion and a second movable contact portion slantwise disposed and opposite to the direction of movement of the first movable contact, for selectively pinching an electrode portion of a semiconductor device in cooperation with the first movable contact, and electrically connects the electrode portion of the semiconductor device; a supporting member for supporting proximal ends of the plurality of contact terminals such that the first movable contact portion of the adjacent one of the contact terminals and the second movable contact portion of the other contact terminal are adjacent to each other; a contact deviation member disposed relatively movably with respect to the supporting member, the contact deviation member including a press section for pressing the first movable contact portion in such manner as to press the first movable contact portion of the contact terminal against the second movable contact portion so as to bring the first movable contact portion into or out of close proximity to the second movable contact portion and separate the electrode portion of the semiconductor device from the second movable contact; and driving means for relatively moving the contact deviation member with respect to the supporting member.
Further, plurality of the contact terminal section are disposed so that when the first movable contact portions are pressed such that a row of the first movable contact portions and a row of the second movable contact portions are arranged substantially in parallel to each other and the electrode of the semiconductor device is separated from the second movable contact portions, the second movable contact portions are disposed between the adjacent first movable contact portions.
The first movable contact may be formed into a bifurcated configuration having a gap oppositely to the second movable contact.
Further, the semiconductor device-socket according to the present invention comprises: a plurality of contact terminals, each of which includes a first movable contact portion and a second contact portion for selectively pinching an electrode portion of the semiconductor device in cooperation with the first movable contact portion and electrically connects the electrode portion of the semiconductor device; a positioning member including an accommodation portion for accommodating the semiconductor device therein, the positioning member for relatively positioning the electrode portion of the semiconductor device with respect to the first movable contact portion and the second movable contact portion; a supporting member for supporting the proximal ends of the plurality of contact terminals; a contact deviation member disposed relatively movably with respect to the supporting member, the contact deviation member including a press section for pressing the first movable contact portion of the contact terminal section in such a manner as to press the first movable contact portion against the second movable contact portion so as to bring the first movable contact portion into or out of close proximity to the second movable contact portion; and a press member including a press surface section for pressing an outer configuration section of the semiconductor device in a direction in which the electrode portion of the semiconductor device accommodated in the accommodation portion is separated from the second movable contact portion, when the first movable contact portion is separated from the second movable contact portion by the contact deviation member.
Further, the plurality of the contact terminals, each of which may include a first movable contact portion and a second movable contact portion slantwise disposed and opposite to the direction of movement of the first movable contact, for selectively pinching an electrode portion of a semiconductor device in cooperation with the first movable contact, and electrically connects the electrode portion of the semiconductor device, the supporting member may support proximal ends of the plurality of contact terminals such that the first movable contact portion of the adjacent one of the contact terminals and the second movable contact portion of the other contact terminal are adjacent to each other.
As clarified from the aforementioned description, in accordance with the semiconductor device-socket of the present invention, there are provided the first movable contact and the second movable contact disposed facing the first movable contact slantingly with respect to the direction of the movement of the first movable contact for selectively holding the electrode portion of the semiconductor device, and the plurality of the contact terminals are provided each for electrically connecting the electrode portions of the semiconductor device, and further the contact deviation member includes the press section that is disposed relatively movably with respect to the supporting member for pressing the first movable contact of the contact terminal against the second movable contact, and bringing the former to close contact with the latter or separating the former from the latter and pressing the first movable contact so as to separate the electrode portion of the semiconductor device from the second movable contact, whereby the degree of opening of each contact terminal is enough secured without being influenced by the density of the electrode portions of the semiconductor device, and further the movable contact of the contact terminal is securely separated from the electrode portion of the semiconductor device.
The above and other objects, effects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.